Maria
by LionheartedWritings
Summary: When Maria could no longer stomach the atrocities of the Healing Church, she took her own life. However, a certain hunter who transcended into an infant Great One pitied her tragic life. In an attempt to rid humanity of its suffering, He decided to give it another chance. Well intentioned He may be, to live is to suffer.


A/N: It has been quite awhile since the last time I posted and I feel like I owe an explanation, especially to those who contacted me in regards to updates to my stories. To address any concerns about my wellbeing, I am doing exceptionally well as of late. Much of this hiatus has been due to certain circumstances which have since passed. I then took much needed time for myself, and though I love writing, updating stories on a regular basis began feeling like a chore rather than something fun for me. For a time, whenever I tried writing a new chapter for any of my stories, I was struck by the infamous writer's block. I would put thousands of words down only for me to delete them because I wasn't satisfied with what that would make of the story. That was when I decided I needed a break and told myself that I would return to writing when it felt right. Recently, I have been playing Bloodborne again and upon reaching Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower, I felt it. Inspiration.

This is indeed a Bloodborne/RWBY story. What does this make of _The Forgotten_? After all, Maria plays an important role for our hunter, Henryk. I shall pull a Miyazaki and leave it up to interpretation. Does this mean that I am no longer updating _The Forgotten_? I can certainly say that the story of Henryk and Leo is not over, but when they shall finally make their return, I am not sure. For the curious, my Dark Souls fanfic, _The Witch and the Wayfarer_ has Leo make a cameo and will likely become a recurring character. For those who want updates on that story—as I have received a surprising amount of messages in regards to that one despite its small following—there is more to Alva and Zullie's adventure. It's just a matter for me to find the proper words that would do them justice.

If you have bothered to read this note at all, thank you for your patience with me. I know it is not of typical word count for me, but nonetheless, I present _Maria_.

* * *

Chapter 1: Stomach it no Longer

"What are we doing, Gehrman?" Maria curled her fingers into fists at her side, as they both stood in the center of the little Fishing Hamlet. Her murky green eyes scanned the inhabitants around her, or perhaps what was left of them. The First Hunter wondered if her eyes were always so dark, or if their time here brought a change to her as it did the villagers. He was no fool—Of course it did. At least the villagers were lucky enough to die with their innocence. Hunters were never so fortunate, and his finest student even less so. For she experienced something hunters were never supposed to. Guilt.

"You do not have an answer for me?" Maria's sharp gaze watched as their fellow hunters continued to massacre the communed villagers. Laurence himself commanded others to decapitate them and investigate their skulls, taking picks and poking holes into them before peering inside. "Did you find any eyes?" Maria heard the First Vicar ask yet again. She lost track of how many times he said those words. And just as many times he asked that question, he received the same answer. "Nothing in this one, either." Then came the next command that made her wince the first few times she heard it. "Keep searching the others."

"Gehrman."

"You already know the answer, Maria." He looked upon the same scene as she did, yet there was not a single shred of remorse on his face. The First Hunter maintained his level exterior as he always did. She always respected him for that, but that did not stop her from wishing she knew what he was thinking.

From the corner of his eye, Gehrman watched Maria's face twist into a grimace before reaching for her weapon. He turned to face his student, her hand gripped around her beloved Rakuyo, though he detected no malice directed towards him. She stared into his eyes, with green eyes as murky as the water they stood in, determined as the day she first chose to become a hunter. "I will be a part of this no longer." Maria turned to the well that stood in the center of the village and tossed the Rakuyo in. Gehrman was shocked to see her throw away the weapon she held so dear. The words escaped him and he could only stand still as she turned to leave it all. She peered over her shoulder and gave her mentor one final look before walking away. Even with all the madness and death around them, never once did Gehrman think twice about his actions. He always did what must be done and any remorse he might have felt was tucked away somewhere he couldn't reach. In fact, he never felt much of anything. However, his time with Maria he could say has been most curious—Most memorable. He knew she admired him, and as little as he would like to admit it, he enjoyed her admiration. Perhaps beyond that, he enjoyed her company. As soon as she left, he finally realized that all this time, he was lonely, and she was its cure. Now she left him. Now he was lonely again.

Though Maria retired as a hunter, she joined the Healing Church after Laurence's split with Willem. She was tasked with overseeing the Church's studies of transcendence at the Research Hall, which was built to overlook the Fishing Hamlet, which has become home to the corpse of the Great One, Kos. Dead as it was, its power remained and continued to have an effect on the Hamlet residents. The Church reaped its phantasms and brought it to the Research Hall, forcing its patients to imbibe the phantasms under the guise of curing them.

"Lady Maria, is that you?"

Maria walked past the patients who continuously called to her, though never did it become easier to hear. She would look sympathetically upon them and stop to talk every now and then. She provided them as much comfort as she could. But today, she found that she could stomach it no longer. The old hunter retreated to the Astral Clocktower, the only place she could be alone. Maria sat in the lone chair at the top of the tower, the giant face with a great black mustache behind her illuminating the room. She breathed in the room for the last time, inhaling the familiar stuffy scent.

"Good bye," Maria uttered.

* * *

Maria began to rouse back to consciousness, her eyes fluttering open. Her vision cleared and she saw a steady hand approaching her. A rush of information filled her head before she shot her hand forward and pulled the other close, bringing the unfamiliar man close to her face.

"A corpse," she began. That's right, she took her own life. This Nightmare is Kos' punishment. "Should be left well alone."

_Please leave_, she pleaded, though the words wouldn't leave her throat. She could see it in the man's eyes though. He was a hunter. One who was far too inquisitive. He must stop finding answers to his questions. He is better left ignorant. He will only get himself hurt. However, she knew that he would not just leave. If she were in his shoes, she wouldn't either. Maria stood up to greet him in earnest.

"Oh, I know very well. How the secrets beckon so sweetly." She felt her hand grip around an all too familiar object. Another part of her punishment. The Rakuyo was back in her hands. How ironic was its name. "Only an honest death will cure you now," she snapped the dagger from the Rakuyo into her left hand. "Liberate you, from your wild curiosity."

One last time, she will participate in a dance. However, her partner was a skilled dancer and proved to be more of a challenge than she thought. She recognized his movements. So, he too was taught by Gehrman. In their dance, she got to know the hunter. Maria had to admit, he has tenacity. He might just have what it takes. If he could defeat her, maybe he has what it takes to bring this Nightmare to an end.

Finally, his weapon planted itself into her torso. Maria gave the hunter a smile as the blood poured from the corners of her lips. Her vision failed, but she swore she could see the sky above. She reached for it. Finally, liberation. The hunter watched in horror as he realized where he recognized her from. "Doll?" It was the last thing Maria heard.

* * *

The Hunter had defeated the Moon Presence and ascended. He finally had the ability to create change. His mind first wandered to Maria. Oh, how she suffered, just like so many others. He wanted it to stop, so he gave her a mulligan—A chance to live life without suffering. A Great One he might now be, the Hunter did not understand that suffering was a staple of life. And give her life is to give her suffering. The only escape he gave her was from this dreadful Hunt.

"Salem?"

Maria opened her eyes, those murky green eyes appearing more defeated than ever. She only wanted it to be over. What now? Did the Great Ones have no end to their punishments.

"No, you're not her. Who are you?"

She looked up at the one speaking. He leaned on a cane, though she could tell he did not truly need it. Another hunter?

"My name is Maria."

"Maria. I am Ozpin."

* * *

A/N: That's as far as my inspiration took me. If I feel like there's more to tell, then I will come back to this, but this was more like a fun exercise for me.

Thanks for reading.


End file.
